The number of global 5G subscriptions is set to top 190 million by the end of 2020 and 2.8 billion by the end of 2025, according to new research from Ericsson.

The Swedish telecoms giant’s global mobility report found that while 5G subscription growth in some markets has slowed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this was outweighed by other markets where it is accelerating.

Changes in behaviour due to lockdown restrictions have caused measurable changes in the usage of both fixed and mobile networks. The largest share of the traffic increase has been absorbed by fixed residential networks, which experienced a 20 to 100 per cent growth.

But many service providers also noticed a spike in demand on their mobile network.

The report suggested that Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) computing connections should reach nearly 160 million by end of 2025 – totalling about a quarter of global mobile network data traffic.

At the end of 2019, global FWA data traffic was estimated to have been around 15 per cent of the global total. It is now projected to grow nearly eightfold to reach 53 exabytes in 2025, representing a quarter of the global total mobile network data traffic.

In a recent study conducted by Ericsson Consumer Lab, 83 per cent of the respondents from 11 countries claim that IT helped them a lot to cope with the lockdown.

The results show an increased adoption and usage of IT services, such as e-learning and wellness apps, that have helped consumers adapt to new realities, underpinned by connectivity.

Looking ahead, while 57 per cent said they will save money for financial security, one-third plan to invest in 5G and an improved broadband at home to be better prepared for a potential second wave of COVID-19.

Fredrik Jejdling, executive vice president and head of networks at Ericsson, said: “The spread of COVID-19 has prompted people all over the world to change their daily lives and, in many cases, work or study from home.

"This has led to a rapid shift of network traffic from business to residential areas - the report shows that mobile and fixed networks are increasingly playing a bigger part of critical national infrastructure.”

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